Valentine's Day rehearsal .... Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting and Salt!

Valentine's Day is coming up. I still have a new cupcake creation for Valentine's Day up my sleeve. But I made two batches of cupcakes today. Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting and Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcakes. Recipes for both in this post and following post.




I sprinkled the cupcakes with some Murray River Salt Flakes which I saw at a'Mews Restaurant in Glebe. I asked the waitress where you could buy the salt from and went there the next day to buy two packets of it. The back label says that buying this salt helps to reduce the salination problem in the Murray River. Besides that it is pretty. For those interested I bought it at Harris Farm Markets at Broadway. More info is available at www.sunsalt.com.au


I got the recipe for these Strawberry Cupcakes from another Cupcakes Take the Caker. But here it is for those that are too lazy to click or scroll. I've also converted measurements into metric.

Strawberry Cupcakes

125g (3 1/2 oz) unsalted butter

1 cup caster sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/3 cups plain

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup strawberry sauce

1/4 cup milk

1. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.

2. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

3. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each.

4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.

5. Measure out milk and strawberry sauce together.

6. Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.
7. Add about one third the milk/strawberry sauce mixture and beat until combined.

8. Repeat above, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture.

9. Scoop into cupcake papers about half to three-quarters full (depending on whether you want flat or domed cupcakes).

10. Bake for 20-22 minutes at 180C (350F) until a cake tester comes out clean.

Strawberry Sauce

2 cups of fresh strawberries

1 -2 tbs sugar

1. Cut strawberries in half and remove stem.

2. Macerate* strawberries with about 1-2 tbs sugar for 15 minutes.

3. Put strawberries in a small saucepan and heat under medium heat with lid on

4. Cook strawberries for approximately 15 minutes till strawberries cook down and become soft and saucy.

5. Adjust sweetness with sugar until you get the desired sweetness.

6.Using a hand blender, puree until you get the desired smoothness or chunkiness.

7. Cool before using in cupcakes and frosting recipes.

* mac·er·ate (măs'ə-rāt')

v., -at·ed, -at·ing, -ates.
v.tr.
To make soft by soaking or steeping in a liquid.
To separate into constituents by soaking.
To cause to become lean, usually by starvation; emaciate.v.intr.
To become soft or separated into constituents by soaking: “His winemaker allowed the juice and skins of the white grapes to macerate together overnight before pressing” (Gerald Asher).

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

1 x 250g (8 oz) package of cream cheese

60g (2 oz) butter

4 cups sifted icing sugar

approximately 1/4 cup of strawberry sauce

1. Bring cream cheese and butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours.

2. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl.

3. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy.

4. Add half of the sugar, beat until combined.

5. Add strawberry sauce until you achieve the right color and flavor, making sure not to add too much or the frosting will be too soft.

6. Gradually add remaining sugar (more if you have to) until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like.

The Verdict? Be mine Valentine.